Sean Foster: “I work for the private prison that’ll close in March. Here’s our real record.”»
In November of 2019, the residents and the men and women who work at the Cheyenne Mountain Re-entry Center in Colorado Springs received some startling news. The governor and the Colorado Department of Corrections had targeted the facility, which provides contract prison services, for closure in June 2020.
Since the announcement and ensuing budget hearings in the legislature, we have been challenged to keep and attract staff at the facility. These factors forced our company to take the unprecedented step of accelerating the closure of the facility to March. After the closure announcement last week, there has been some criticism about our operation, so I wanted to share some facts about the Cheyenne Mountain Re-entry Center and our state prison system.
In 2019, I retired from DOC after 30 years of service. I began as an officer and held several roles, including incident review manager, the associate director of the private prison monitoring unit, an associate warden, warden, and deputy director of prison operations. I have worked at eight facilities at every custody level, with all ages and genders, and provided direct oversight for all state facilities.
In December 2019, I became the acting facility director at Cheyenne Mountain. A prison, whether operated directly by the state or by a contractor, is a challenging environment to manage and it faces operational and programmatic issues every day. Since arriving, I have assessed the operational and cultural aspects of Cheyenne Mountain and can attest that offenders are safe, staff wellness is appropriate, and the facility is secure.
Employees work hard and are committed to providing support services to the clientele they serve. Cheyenne Mountain offered over two-dozen ongoing programs and services during 2019, including substance abuse, sex offender training, anger management, depression, mental health, general education, technical skills, family, parenting and employment planning. And medical care is provided for inmates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I can attest that security components are sound, as indicated by the most recent security audit and vulnerability assessment conducted by DOC. Cheyenne Mountain also achieved national accreditation through the American Correctional Association in July 2019.
From my years of service, I understand the importance of holding contract facilities accountable and ensuring they adhere to their contracts, policies and procedures. The DOC established the private prison monitoring unit, where I formerly worked, to monitor contractoroperated facilities at a level and frequency that is not conducted at state facilities. Cheyenne Mountain receives four separate and extensive state audits each month. The audits cover all aspects of operations, including facilities, programs, clinical, mental health, and security. For the months of January through November of 2019, facility audits identified an average of the following: 67 items that met standards/best practices; five items which were unresolved (handled on location by staff and do not require follow-up); and one item which was recurring (requires a plan of action).
Of the 73 items measured at Cheyenne Mountain, 91.8% met standards/best practices.
Cheyenne Mountain has played an important role in reintegrating inmates back into society, and we have always sought to collaborate with the DOC to provide sound services to offenders and public safety to the citizens of Colorado.
The employees of Cheyenne Mountain and I are proud of our track record and the work we have done on behalf of those in our care. Since news broke in November that the state wanted to close Cheyenne Mountain, there has been a direct impact on the facility and the lives of approximately 180 employees and 650 residents.
Operationally, Cheyenne Mountain will continue to conduct programming, complete parole plans, provide services to the offender population, and maintain a secure facility.